San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-17

ing foot in every yard! lie winsi he
winsl Black and Purple foreverl
The race is over. The fierce turmoil
OF shouting thousands bOils up around
us. The two horses have passed the
post so close together that no one knows
which has won. We wait some moments
in agoniZSd suspense. till the numbers
go up upon the board. At last they APP
pear: !, CremOme; ., Makeshift Colt; 3,
know not what. for sink almost faint
ing on the ground. \
Half q neck has done IT, Had our
horse put on the squirt moment sooner
he would have won. Had the course
been ten yards longer the decision would
have been reversed. Oh, if-if-if-and
have lost
0'Hooligan is beside me. lie stands
with his hands thrust down deep into
his pockets, his face is pale. and his lips
set together; he gazes vacantly into the
distance.
"Shot in the back again!" he murmurs
hoarsely, with an oath. Come on, me
boyl Rouse yerself! Come an let's
liquor, any way!n
l crawl dejectedly after him TO the
tent, for my mouth is as dry as lime
burners wig.
Well. that event was the turning-point
in my life. That bad luck has been the
making of me. | will tell you how in
as few words as possible.
| awOke the next morning in the most
utterly depressed and dispirited condi-
ton. | had a racking headache, of
course, for, equally of course, had got
most consumedly drunk after the race.
Perhaps that was natural under the cir
cumstances. Mind and body We're in
torture. | felt gloomy enough TO do
something dreadful. | was utterly
ruined; | had no prospects; everything
| had possessed was mine no longer. ]
had not even the means left to earn my
subsistence with. In day or two more
my very bed would be seized and |
should be turned into the street.
My mind was little confused. you
see. / had totally forgotten one thing,
and it was lucky had. perhaps. Not
until late in the day did remember
that had backed the Makeshift colt
for place. SO overwhelming was my
misery at losing the $1,000 | had
reckOned on. and losing il by such a
narrow squeak, that had clean forgot
ten the saving bet.
had turned into the Brush and Pal
cite moOdily to seek what sOace might
find there. Suddenly some sovereigns
were thrust into my hand, and was
told the money was the second prize in
the sweepstakes, wherein | had drawn
1.-THE field, as you may remember.
All, il was a fine rcVulsion of feeling
| then experienced! | Cheered up Won
derfully when | recOllected how | really
stood. Things were by no means so
black as | had thought. As matter of
fact, / had actually won over El00.
That drove me back from the brink
just in time. More, il led me to reflect.
/ conceived disgust at gambling ami
betting from that time. and | resolved
never to take to the same course again.
believe it was the luckiest thing in
the world that the horse / backed was
beaten by CremOrne. If I had won, and
had landed that big prize, | should
have been confirmed gambler all my
days. or that | am certain. | should
have come to eventual smash, when
there was no possibility of recovering
from it. And, likely as not, should
have dragged my poor Lucy into the
mire with me.
That very day after the Derby. as l
was reading the accounts in the paper
of how the great race had so nearly been
carried off by the rankest of rank out
ment. 1t was a call for emigrantS to 90
out to New Zealand.
That decided me. had Gl00 in hand,
and with it | resolved to emigrate. I
resolved to throw gentilty to the winds.
to quit the dangerous Bohemia of Lon
don, to give up my foolish dreams of an
artistic profession, and to try what man
full industry might do for me at the an
tipOdes. resolved to conquer my own
failings, to concentrate my energies,
and to seek fortune in new land.
Within month | had hidden hope
full al rerOir to Lucy, had been the re-
cipient of farewell supperat the Brush
and Palette, and was an assisted en-
igrant" in the steerage of the good ship
Rangitiki, bound for Auckland.
OF course, | had hardish times at first.
Who hasn't? ChOpping fire-wOOd, mend
ing and making roads, carrying hOd,
driving cattle-these were some of my
occupations, and little enough could l
earn at them. But by-and-by my old
profession stood me in good service,
One day accidentally overheard
hOtel-keeper stating his wish to have
signbOard on his house. He lamented
his inability to find man who could
paint it properly, and said he would
willingly stand G5 for what he wanted
| offered to do the job if materials were
found me, and after some demur | was
allowed to trY-my hand speculatively,
Before ! had finished the sign the
satisfied boss" commissioned me to
decorate his saloon. Orders came in
upon me thick and fast for similar
work, and soon found myself earning
f6 or fS every week, -.
Well, to make a long story short, with
in few months was foreman of
hOuse-titting firm in the city, and before
year was gone was partner in the
concern and doing a thriving business.
In three years from the time of my
leaving England | was able to send
money home to Lucy. The dear girl
came out at once and is now my wife,
have prOspered amazingly. AthOme
could never have been more than
picture-dealer's hack. Here l hold no
incOnsiderable position in the city, my
business as a hOuse-decOratOr having
gone ahead and absorbed into it various
kindred branches of trade.
Perhaps | can not call myself a gen.
tlemen any longer. On the other hand,
| am not a broken down Bohemian,
Look at my family, sir. at my pTOsperi=
ty! Look at this shop of mine nQueen
street, and say have | not cause to be
thankful that the Makeshift colt did not
win the Derby